MASH

By Josh S., Nicholasville, KY

21 Bedpan Salute: 4077th

As a good friend of mine once said, “war isn’t Hell. War is war and Hell is Hell, and of the two war is a lot worse,” and you know something, that’s true! That’s what M*A*S*H is all about, this group of people who go crazy to stay sane. It’s mainly on T.V. Land and, depending on the night, it’s on any night between 7:30 and11: 30 at night. The show takes place at a mobile army surgical hospital unit in Korea during the Korean War (obviously) near a village called Uigombu, South Korea. M*A*S*H is top notch because the characters go above and beyond the call, the acting brings the show to life, and the writing marries drama and comedy perfectly.

The characters are drafty doctors and nurses that hate the war and just want to go home. They have many different points of views, Hawkeye hates the army, BJ just wants to go home to his wife and kid, Frank... God help him, and Klinger wants his section 8 discharges. Also, we can all identify with the characters since we all need to go crazy once in awhile so we can stay sane too! I mean they can’t have all the fun!

The acting is spectacular because the writers picked the perfect actors to do this show. The characters are very believable because the actors never break character. A perfect example of this is the episode, “the Interview” when a reporter comes and interviews the camp personnel. The show is a fun one to watch because it’s comic and dramatic at the same time. A perfect example is the episode when the camp throws a Christmas party for the local orphans and they get an unexpected casualty.

The writing is unmatched because if the show has been on TV for this long it has to be good writing. Also there are many humorous interactions in the show because that’s what it’s all about. Like in the episode when Hawkeye makes a bet with BJ that he could go the whole day with out making a signal joke. Also the show is more time period correct because they make many wise cracks at General McArthur and President Truman.

Yes sir the 4077th is defiantly worth getting wounded for because the cast is spectacular, the acting lives and breaths, and the writing has drama and comedy in perfect harmony. But TV Land did make one critical error. They probably should have put the show on at the same time every night.

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